Bench Racing Ammo: The International

On Independence Day at RedBud, American motocross fans were thrilled by an amazing battle for the win in the 250 class—another great round in the fight for the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

For American motocross fans, RedBud had all the trappings: perfect weather, a great track, and the massive LaRocco’s Leap, which serves as a major line in the sand for 250 riders. Only a few can routinely pull off the jump.

But what’s most unique about this American weekend is the level of overseas talent that has now flooded the 250 class. Yes, Idaho’s Jake Weimer took his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki to the Red Bud overall win, and Minnesota’s Ryan Dungey won the first moto and remains a solid title contender. But in the second moto of the day, after Dungey crashed on the first lap, a rider from Ecuador (Martin Davalos) led a rider from France (Christophe Pourcel) who led an Englishman (Tommy Searle) with another English rider (Max Anstie) and an Australian (Brett Metcalfe) coming through next. That’s four different countries and five different foreign-born riders inside the top five.

The moto ended in a France-England-Australia podium finish via Pourcel, Searle, and Metcalfe, with Weimer’s fourth in the race making him top American—and also handing him the overall via 2-4 moto scores.

By the way, behind Weimer’s total of 40 points, the next four riders all earned 38 on the day, creating an incredible four-rider tie for second overall. As always, ties are broken by the second moto, which allowed Pourcel to lead Searle, Metcalfe, and Dungey on the overall tally. Ironically, the rider expected to make the biggest dent—South Africa’s incoming world champ Tyla Rattray—had the worst of days at RedBud, leaving with his thumb in a cast after breaking it in the second moto.

With Pourcel the points leader in the 250 class and Chad Reed of Australia leading the 450 class after RedBud, this marks the first time since RedBud 2000 that foreign-born riders have led both classes this late in the season. Back then it was a pair of Frenchmen—Stephane Roncada and Sebastien Tortelli—leading the way. But here’s the kicker: when all was said and done, neither won the title.